http://www.freep.com/article/201203...-Transit-full-size-van-3-5-liter-EcoBoost-V-6
Detroit Free Press 3/05/2012
The Ford Transit full-size van will have a more fuel-efficient 3.5-liter EcoBoost V-6 engine under the hood when it goes on sale in North America next year, replacing the long-serving E-Series that will be discontinued, the automaker announced today at the Work Truck Show in Indianapolis.
The combination of a smaller direct-injection engine and a commercial van that is about 300 pounds lighter than a comparable E-Series will improve fuel efficiency by at least 25%, Ford officials say
The turbocharger will provide the power the work van needs.
The current E-Series (formerly known as the Econoline) offers a choice of a 4.6-liter or 5.4-liter V-8 or a 6.8-liter V-10.
In Geneva this week Ford is showing the Tourneo Custom Concept which is a hint at styling for a light-duty version of the Transit for sale in Europe. The heavy-duty version to be sold here will have a different look. It will be built at Ford’s retooled Kansas City plant.
Like the E-Series it replaces, the Transit will be rear-wheel drive while the lighter version for Europe, made in Turkey, is front-wheel drive.
“The new Ford Transit commercial van will deliver all the capability and capacity that customers get with today’s E-Series, but with the bonus of improved fuel economy and potentially lower operating costs thanks to its available EcoBoost engine,” said Tim Stoehr, Ford Commercial Truck Marketing manager, in a statement.
“This engine has revolutionized the half-ton pickup segment for F-150 and we’re expecting it will have the same effect on commercial vans,” Stoehr said.
By 2013, Ford plans to produce up to 1.5 million EcoBoost engines globally across its vehicle line. F-Series customers have downsized from V-8 engines to V-6 and Explorers are being sold with an EcoBoost 4-cylinder engine.
Ford has sold more than 6 million Transits across five continents since it launched in 1965.